States to Test Wind Turbines

TEXAS AND Massachusetts have been selected from six semifmalists by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for state-of-the-art facilities to test turbines used in producing wind power. The DOE will contribute $2 million for test equipment at each of the facilities, which are expected to be operational by 2009.

Since the wind turbines measure up to 330 feet in length, they are most efficiently transported by boat, leading the DOE to choose seaside sites for the new testing facilities - Ingleside, Texas, and Boston, Mass., Autoport.

The centers will place the blades used in producing wind power on a hangar and test them against wind and vibrations to ensure that they would hold up on the open seas.

Copyright Halcyon Business Publications, Inc. Aug/Sep 2007
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved